Earlier this year I bought a Yaesu FT-857D at the Richmond hamfest. It was a spur-of-the-moment purchase. I was actually trying to buy a demo FT-450, but a fellow snapped it up at the last second and I 'settled' for the 857. My intent was to get a radio that I could take with me on my business trips and do a little operating from my hotel room. I knew that I would be faced with a big challenge of trying to find an antenna that would be suitable for a hotel room, but my expectations were low and I figured I'd cross that bridge later. Over the course of the past few months I've noted several different offerings that might do the trick, but most are antennas that I'd need to take with me when I'm driving, due to size. When I'm flying, as I am on this trip, I can't exactly pack a buddipole, especially since I'm taking a bunch of work tools.
Then I bought a K2 and my entire plan changed. I can now take the K2, operate low power, and use the built-in battery pack, or a minimal power supply, when needed. Plus, having an antenna tuner built-in makes it even easier - one less piece of equipment to drag around.
But my plans have mostly ground to a halt. And here I find myself sitting in a hotel room in Bangor, ME, on my way to New Brunswick tomorrow and I really wish I'd have brought my radio. It probably would have been impractical on this trip, given the amount of tools that I'm carting with me, but what's really stopping me is the lack of a portable antenna that I can take with me on flying trips.
So with that in mind, I'm very open to suggestions. Does anyone that reads my blog have any experience with portable antennas that I could set up in a hotel room?
2 comments:
Hi Ed,
How about a simple 20 meter dipole? If you got your hands on some 18ga wire, then got a piece of 300 ohm ladder line(maybe 15 feet?), The K2 should be able to find a match. (Walmart has 300 ohm TV line, but it's not too sturdy. Other sources have real 300 ohm ladder)
The ladder line and small gauge wire are light enough to thumbtack,tape, or even 'art putty' up across the ceiling along a wall or two.
Probably better than any vertical too.
Its amazing what you can work on poor antennas. It would sure help pass the time away from home.
If you really want to push it, pull the twisted pairs out of a 17 foot long piece of cat5. Save one twisted pair to use as the feed line, and split one of the other pairs into two wires for the dipole leg. Add a piece of scrap plastic for a center insulator, and whammo, instant 20m dipole.
73 es have fun de w4kaz
Hi Keith,
Thanks for the comment! I've certainly got access to more wire in the 12 to 18 gauge range than I could ever use, so perhaps a simple 20 mtr dipole would be a great way to get started. A coil that small would be manageable and not get too tangled after a few uses.
The cat-5 suggestion is another beauty. I think I know just where I might lay my hands on some :)
I suppose I had dismissed the idea of 20 mtrs for the time being, since most of my operating would likely take place late at night, but the band seems to be more lively in recent weeks, even at this low point. Certainly as things improve over the next few years this type of arrangement would be more productive.
And, as you point out, carting a roll of wire around and finding ways of attaching it to points around a hotel room would probably be much easier than keeping up with sections of a vertical and trying to keep it tuned.
I did, however, run across a very intriguing, yet simple vertical that wouldn't be too bad to carry around in a vehicle http://www.antenna-to-go.com/index.php But, I'd still have the tuning issue.
Thanks for the great suggestion!
73's Ed
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